The Saga of the Confederates

Of the sagas we have read thus far, I definitely found this one the best read. It was interesting the entire way through, never really deviating from the main plot. This saga was definitely a 'feel good' saga, which may explain why I liked it. Odd was a likable character and I was glad to see him rewarded for his honest and truthful nature in the end. It seemed that everyone got what they deserved.

Odd's father was a very interesting character. He was very wise, crafty, and played everyone just right. After reading the saga, even though I liked it, I had a hard time believing it. Everything was so convenient and worked out perfect. The two confederates that he Olfeig picked out played right into his hand. It just seemed odd...

The Saga of Hrafnkel Frey's Godi

The Saga of Hrafnkel Frey's Godi was very unique. Some things that I noticed right away were the complete lack of poetry, and the non-existence of a female voice, and the emphasis on law. This greatly contrasts the other sagas we have read where poetry is ever present, and there is often a female voice. In other sagas, a consideration of how women are portrayed is always necessary, but in this saga, there is nothing to consider, no women. This saga also offers a lot of insight into the Icelandic judicial system. In other sagas, law was always an afterthought, and often times, one had to basically guess at how a situation was "legally' handled. In this saga we see many systems, traditions, and methods of courtly practices. Regarding the legal system, I found whole system very odd. In this saga, after Sam takes over the case, Thorbjorn is almost completely out of the picture. Sam runs the trial, and carries out the punishment of Hrafnkel. When Hrafnkel leaves Adalbol, Sam takes his farm. When Hrafnkel retaliates, he does so against Sam's brother. Thorbjorn, does almost nothing but tag along, when he is the one seeking recompense.

Havamal

In the Havamal, there was definitely a lot of "proverbial-esque" poems. I noticed that there was quite a bit of reference to what a 'wise man' does, and I chose my example from that genre. Also, since we all live in a college atmosphere, I would point out the multiple references to ale, alcohol consumption. From what I read in the Havamal, ancient Icelanders valued the ability to show restraint when consuming. However, from what I have read of the sagas, people often times drank excessively and got very drunk. This leads me to the conclusion that the ideal icelander was one who could drink huge amounts of alcohol, and stay sober enough that it appeared he was showing restraint.

Anyway, I took my example from stanza 57:

57. A brand from a brand | is kindled and burned,
And fire from fire begotten;
And man by his speech | is known to men,
And the stupid by their stillness.

I interpret this to mean that similar to how fire is made from flame, and a burn is left by a brand, the words one speaks, or doesn’t speak, determines the impression left on the minds of others. A man is known to others by what comes out of his mouth. As described in many of the other ‘proverbs,’ a wise man remains silent unless he has something of worth to say. The ‘stupid’ man is somewhat contradicted in this example though. In most cases, a stupid man rambles and babbles incessantly, rarely saying something of use. Here, he is still, a trait previously described as belonging to a wise man.

Gisli Sursson's Saga

Of the sagas we have read thus far, this was my least favorite. It was very long and confusing. I noticed that throughout the sagas, and in the first few chapters especially, many characters were introduced. As I read this, I really began to ponder how people remembered all the names and characters. I know for certain that if I was telling this tale, I would have cut out immense portions of the saga. If I was sitting around a fire listening to this story, I doubt I would care about all the names. And in this aspect, this saga differs from others. It's more of a recounting of people than an actual story. How many of the characters in this story were actual people? As this story was passed down through generations, did it change any?